Before I talk about the apartment itself, I wanted to give potential tenants a warning about renting AirBnbs in Bangkok.
1. Bangkok is very much anti-AirBnb. Whether AirBnbs are actually legal in Bangkok is up in the air. Because Freshy is a superhost and appeared to rent multiple units we assumed that she had a hotel license. When we got to the apartment, there were massive signs in the lobby with the words “NOT A HOTEL” printed across the top. Additionally there were signs up in the elevator warning anyone renting an apartment for less than a month that there would be consequences. A couple of days into our stay, management put up a notice stating that “short term rentals” were being investigated by the local authorities. Basically we were too terrified to use any of the amenities advertised and felt super uncomfortable entering and leaving the building. We were told to state that we were friends of the owner and whenever possible were escorted into the building via the garage. We were not warned in advanced about the building’s anti-Airbnb policy or that we would need to “sneak” around. Needless to say it was all very uncomfortable.
2. If immigration knows you’re renting an AirBnb you may be under additional scrutiny. When we got to the immigration counter the officer kept asking me about the name of the “hotel” we were staying in. I didn’t understand why he was so obsessed with the name until I realized that he was trying to figure out whether I was staying in an AirBnb.
3. ***TM30 FORM*** You may be under additional scrutiny because all tourists must submit a TM30 form WITHIN 24 HOURS OF ARRIVING IN THAILAND. We had no idea until we checked in that we were required to submit a TM30 form. Not doing so within 24 hours can result in a 1,600 baht fine if you try to extend your visitor’s visa. Hotels will submit the TM30 form for you automatically. Most AirBnb hosts will not. We are not sure if Freshy submitted a TM30 form on our behalf, but she never asked for our passports. Passports are required to submit the TM30 form on behalf of a tourist.
I just want to emphasize that I’m sure we’d run into these issues with any AirBnb we rented in Bangkok. They’re not unique to Freshy’s apartment. I wouldn’t be surprised if most condos in the Ratchathewi District had massive “NOT A HOTEL” signs in the lobby. I just wanted to make sure that future tenants know what they are getting themselves into by choosing to rent an AirBnb rather than a hotel room.
All that being said, the apartment itself was lovely. It was incredibly clean and stylish. The layout was well thought out with plenty of spots to work, eat and get ready in the mornings. The bathroom had a bath and choice of TWO showers! The AC was excellent and easy to control (a remote control is provided).
Freshy’s English is excellent and she was super responsive throughout the entirety of our stay. The maid, Lina, was incredibly kind and helpful. Both Freshy and Lina made sure that we had everything we needed and quickly resolved any minor issues we encountered.
Overall, I would give the unit itself 5/5 stars and the staff 6/5 stars.